Hero
by Sam deLittle
Summary: He wanted to be a hero. What he didn't know was that all heroes pay a price. Cash x Gwen x Kevin triangle. Based off "Triangle" by Karashi.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**: Hey there! I originally wrote this story for Karashi's contest on DevArt a month or two back, so you may have already seen it there. If not -- please enjoy!

After writing the drabble that can be found in "Seven Lies" I really wanted to write a true CashxGwenxKevin. I've definitely warmed up to Cash's character. The jerks always have more to pick apart in the characterization department. But, as a warning, this fic IS mostly about Cash. I'm not going to give away the ending of the story, but Cash is most certainly the protagonist. Unlike in the drabble I wrote, Cash is a legitimate character and not just a plot device. XD

* * *

Cash admitted to not liking Ben Tennyson – the little prick was way too self-righteous and his "hero" attitude had sickened Cash ever since the second grade. Ben would always be trying to help people out – even if he was just being an annoyance by doing so. And something about that bugged Cash. And for a long time, he couldn't put a finger on it. So he decided to put many fingers, curled into a fist, onto Ben's arms and face instead.

Whenever Ben stood up for the weakling in class, or tried to save another bullying victim, Cash only got more and more annoyed. Being a "hero" was pointless. It wasn't like in cartoons, where heroes always prosper and the bad guys get what's coming to them. Being a hero took hard work and rarely produced any results. That was it – being a hero took _effort_. Pointless effort, as far as Cash was concerned.

So why didn't he just leave the annoying Tennyson alone to go about his so-called "hero" business? Why did he make a point of it to torment Ben until well into High School? Ben was just wasting his time, breath, and that annoying _effort_ Cash had surmised was a requirement for heroes. As Cash thought on it more, he realized that being a hero was hard work.

You stood up for people, tried to right wrongs, and rarely got any recognition for it. Sometimes, you failed and everyone hated you for it. But if you succeeded, life continued as normal and nobody really cared. And if they did care, you'd be expected to be a hero again and again. It was a losing battle.

And yet Ben chose to fight it.

Why was Ben so self-sacrificing? So naturally noble? Why did Ben have the strength, the bravery, and the determination to help people with no other agenda? What was it about Ben that made him a hero?

Whatever it was, Cash knew he didn't have it.

It was easier to be a bully, definitely. But Cash didn't want the easy route anymore. He wanted something with substance. He didn't want to be angry at nothing.

He wanted to be a hero too.

"I'll help you."

And later, rather than sooner, he had gotten his chance.

* * *

Kevin admitted to not liking Cash Murray. After all, the little prick was annoying as hell, and didn't have any real guts. Sure, he liked to show off whenever he got his hand on even a speck of authority, but by himself, he was nothing. Their fight had definitely made Kevin sore (in more ways than one), but what was even worse was how the jerk had gone around town bragging about how he'd beaten Kevin.

Kevin prided himself on being a tough guy – it was all he had – tough car, tough apartment, tough music he liked to listen to on his tough huge speakers. And the tough way he dealt with Gwen Tennyson.

Maybe that should've been handled with more care.

As much as Kevin hated to admit it, there was no point in trying to deny his feelings for the red-headed Tennyson girl. She had broken through his heavy shell layer by layer, eventually reaching his heart and grasping it in her tiny hand. But Kevin had been clumsy with words, even clumsier with feelings. And though she had spurred him on to pursue her, he simply couldn't – he was too afraid that he didn't have what it took.

And that brought him back to what he hated the most about Cash. There was nothing special about Cash, but he went around boasting as though he was God's gift to humanity. His confidence was almost annoying in its steadfastness. Meanwhile, Kevin, who could think of around a million things he could do better than Cash, was left with no semblance of self-esteem. He didn't even have the confidence to ask out a girl.

Cash believed in himself, albeit without good reason.

And Kevin couldn't.

It was easier to hate yourself. That was certainly true. Because once you started to like yourself, you worried about your own well-being. And with his job, that wasn't something Kevin could be concerned about. But Kevin was tired of hating himself, of pushing people away because he didn't think they'd like what they saw. He didn't want to be angry at nothing.

He wanted to be stupidly confident too.

"I love you and I think you love me!"

And sooner, rather than later, he had gotten his chance.

* * *

"Can we just buy those and go?" Kevin asked, rolling his eyes as Gwen stared at the pair of shoes in her hand for what seemed to be the billionth time. Gwen had practically begged Kevin to take her shopping, and Kevin, being the love-struck chauffeur that he was, couldn't say no. But now, after two hours in the shoe store, he was cursing his weakness.

"I don't know," Gwen frowned, looking at the box in her hand and the box on another shelf. "Those brown ones were cute too. Which did you like better?"

"Those," he said, pointing at the shoes in her hand, "definitely those."

"Really? I think I like the brown ones better," she said, pulling out the brown ones and blatantly ignoring Kevin's suggestion. Kevin didn't care – they were done with this shoe-crusade. "Thanks again! Sorry to drag you along, but I really needed a new pair – my old ones were definitely dying on me."

"No problem," Kevin sighed, "just let me take a couple sleeping pills next time, okay?"

Gwen gave him a playful sock in the arm, still smirking at him – a smirk which Kevin had grown to adore over the past year and a half he'd known her. "Ha ha, aren't you funny?"

"I try," Kevin shrugged as Gwen got to the front of the line and paid for the shoes. "So hey, you wanna grab some lunch at the food court before we go back?"

"Sure," Gwen said rather nonchalantly. Kevin sighed inwardly. He had yet to ask Gwen Tennyson out on a date, and now, even his offers of activities that sounded slightly date-ish were assumed to be strictly friendly. He remembered what Gwen had said to him:

"_It has less and less meaning until soon, you don't have the chance at all_."

Maybe she had been right. Maybe Kevin really had lost his chance with her, but he couldn't help but hold out on even a glimmer of hope that Gwen might still be interested in him.

The two left the shoe store and made their way up the escalator towards the food court on the top floor. Kevin and Gwen both looked on awkwardly as a couple made out while riding the escalator. "They're totally gonna trip at the end, and maybe their faces will get stuck like that," Kevin whispered to Gwen, and she snickered, trying and failing to give him a disapproving look. But Kevin's amusing prediction didn't come true. The couple stopped their make-out session just in time to disembark on the escalator, hands still held rather tightly together. "Oh too bad. It would have been hilarious to watch them fall over."

"Well at least they're together," Gwen said, and Kevin once again felt that awkward crawling feeling in his stomach. "I mean, we're both still single, so I don't think we can talk."

"Well, you know," Kevin laughed, trying to sound as casual as possible, "a handsome guy like me and a girl like you walking around together in the mall? People will probably think we're dating."

"Handsome?" Gwen asked jokingly.

"Ouch! Hey, you know I'm hot," he teased, putting his arm around Gwen. "Can't resist me, right babe?" Gwen frowned and plucked his arm off of her.

"My name isn't 'babe'," she said sternly. "And that's the sort-of pet name I'd save for my boyfriend. Which, despite what 'people' think, you're not."

With that, Gwen walked off towards the food court, not bothering to see if Kevin was still following her. He was looking out after her, getting more and more depressed by the second. It seemed like the longer he tried to pretend that he and Gwen were "just friends" the harder it got to be around her. He knew he was hurting her by not coming clean about his feelings, and, strangely enough, he was hurting himself too. He wasn't happy being just Gwen's friend – so why didn't he just go after her?

Speeding up to catch up to Gwen, Kevin's mind raced with questions, most of which could only be answered by himself. He didn't know a lot of answers right now.

He didn't even know that Cash and JT were currently sitting in the same food court, staring at them.

"Hey, isn't that Kevin and Gwen?" JT asked rather loudly, slurping up his smoothie in between sentences.

"Yeah," Cash said, narrowing his eyes at the two of them. His eyes focused specifically on Gwen, who was at the front of the line and about to order some lunch.

Cash had to admit, Gwen was rather pretty. She might have been related to that loser Ben, but she had obviously gotten the good genes of the family. And not only was she pretty, but she was smart and confident too. He had been in the same class as her in the fifth grade, and ever since then, Gwen Tennyson had been in the back of Cash's mind.

He couldn't really say he had "feelings" for her persay. It was more of a curiosity. A "what-if". After all, it was obvious that Kevin liked Gwen. And Cash wasn't about to mess with Kevin Levin. Without a super-powered alien gauntlet, Cash wasn't really a match for the toughest kid in town.

Still, one had to wonder: Kevin had liked Gwen for a year and a half now, and the two still weren't together. Why not? Maybe Kevin had been rejected – but then why was he still following around Gwen like her little lapdog? No, it had to be that Kevin hadn't even attempted to ask Gwen out yet. Maybe he had no intention to.

So if Kevin wasn't even playing, why shouldn't Cash be the one to win?

"Hey, isn't that Cash and JT?" Gwen turned her head as she and Kevin held their food on trays. Her eyes fell upon the two school bullies, and Cash and she met eyes.

Cash realized Gwen was looking at him, and, despite his better judgment, he waved at her, beckoning her and Kevin to come over. In the past year, Cash, JT, and the Tennyson clan had called an uneasy truce. Mostly due to the fact that Cash knew that Ben had put on the Omnitrix again and could royally kick his butt if he wanted to. Details, details.

Gwen and Kevin made their way over to Cash and JT's table. Gwen was smiling pleasantly, trying to be polite, but Kevin didn't bother to mask his annoyance. He was sporting a rather impressive grimace. "Should've known you were here," Kevin remarked nastily, "I thought I smelled loser."

"Kevin," Gwen warned, shooting him a look. She turned back to Cash and JT. "Wanna eat together?"

"What?" Kevin asked, unable to believe it. "You're kidding, right?"

"Sure, sit down. As long as Levin over there doesn't blow a casket," Cash remarked sourly, and Kevin shot him a nasty look before sitting down next to JT, across from Gwen. "So what are you guys doing here?"

"Had to buy some new shoes," Gwen said, holding up her bag. "You?"

"We're going to see _Assassin's Tradition_," JT spoke up. "Previews looked awesome."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," Gwen said, smiling. "Hey, maybe we should all go see it."

"Sorry, I'm busy," Kevin interrupted, taking an overly large bite of his hamburger. "And since _I'm_ driving you—"

"I could give you a ride back," Cash offered. Kevin's eyes widened. He didn't like _that_ idea one bit. What was Cash trying to pull anyway? "If Levin's busy and all—"

"That's really sweet of you," Gwen said, smiling. "It sounds like fun—"

Kevin suddenly stood up and grabbed Gwen's bag of shoes before grabbing her wrist. "Sorry losers, but we're leaving. Have fun watching your lame-o movie."

"Kevin!" Gwen shouted as Kevin dragged her off, his and her food still unfinished, Cash and JT still looking out after them. Cash frowned, watching Gwen look back over her shoulder at him, trying to apologize with her eyes. It was a beautiful look – and something about it made Cash want her back desperately.

Cash had only been talking to Gwen Tennyson one-on-one for a minute, but in that minute, he had seen what could have been if she were his girlfriend. She was out of his reach, an unattainable platform. But just a bit ago, as he had offered to drive her home, his fingers had grazed that platform.

And what a glorious grazing it was.

"What is _wrong_ with you?!" Gwen shouted when Kevin finally let go of her once they reached the car. "That was so insanely rude! I just wanted to watch the movie with them! Do you really hate Cash that much?!"

"Yeah, I do," Kevin said bluntly, opening the car for Gwen. She reluctantly got inside, her arms still crossed, her eyebrows knitted together in anger. Kevin walked swiftly to the driver's side and sat down, placing his hands on the wheel and staring straight ahead. "That little arrogant prick was totally flirting with you!"

"He was not!" Gwen scoffed. "He offered to drive me home when you were being a jerk! You weren't busy! You were lying!"

"Okay!" Kevin shouted. "You want some honesty?!"

"Yes, please!" Gwen practically snarled, turning to Kevin and looking him straight in the eye.

"I love you and I think you love me!" he shouted, and Gwen's eyes widened, her jaw dropping. Kevin stopped, realizing what he'd just said, but he didn't falter or take it back. He remained silent, still staring at Gwen, waiting for her to respond.

Gwen moved her hand ever so slightly until her slim fingers rested on Kevin's arm. She blinked a few times, her eyes filling up with tears, until she launched herself at Kevin, embracing him strongly. Kevin threw his own arm around her waist and held her too, his other hand stroking her hair. "I mean it, I mean every word," he whispered into her ear over and over again until he could feel her shaking with tears. "Don't cry," he whispered, but Gwen moved back from the hug to look him the eye. She tried to dry her tears, but Kevin did it for her, wiping away the tears on her face with his thumb. He realized her face was held nicely in his hand, and he decided it was now or never.

Bringing her close to him, their faces lingered in front of one another's for a moment, Kevin silently asking her permission before pressing his lips against hers.

The kiss seemed like a breath of fresh air – a "finally" – a relief. As if they had both been carrying heavy weights on their backs and had finally let them off, allowing their muscles well deserved stretches.

When they broke, Gwen put her head on Kevin's chest, breathing slowly, taking in his scent as he wrapped his arms around her. "So…you forgive me?" Kevin asked quietly, and Gwen nodded. "Good."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes**: This chapter is where things start to heat up.

In the restaurant scene, dialogue is taken DIRECTLY from Karashi's drabble "Triangle" (which was the inspiration for this fic.)

* * *

Cash called it cruel irony when he found out that Gwen and Kevin were officially dating the day after he had run into Gwen at the mall. He didn't know why he was so disappointed – it wasn't as though he thought he had a real chance with Gwen. But now even the fantasy was out of the question. She had been picked up already, and Cash was out of luck.

But life went on, for all of them. Cash found that his ability to bluff, intimidate and radiate confidence was useful in the business world. After college, his work as an entrepreneur flourished, and by the time he was thirty, he was one of the most prominent business men in the country. Or perhaps the universe. After all, inter-universal relations had boomed in the past fifteen years or so. Aliens were living all over the earth, and humans had migrated to various other planets. A technological revolution had hit Earth once other planets started coming into regular contact with humans. Yes, Cash found himself too busy with his various companies to think upon his old interest, Gwen Tennyson.

Speaking of Gwen Tennyson, she had been gotten pretty busy herself. The Earth branch of the Plumbers had become active again, with Gwen as one of its primary agents. Her cousin, Ben, had become "Ben 10,000 – Hero of Heroes", which didn't surprise Cash. The kid was always putting on that hero act after all. He and his crazy watch had been stopping big bad aliens for as long as Cash could remember. Sure, Ben was also a family man now: what with Julie Yamamato as his wife and the mother of his son Kenneth and daughter Gwendolyn Tennyson II. He didn't know much else about Ben.

As for Gwendolyn Tennyson I's family life…

Well, that was something that _everyone_ knew about.

After all, it's not as though Kevin 11,000 hadn't made headlines once or twice as one of the galaxy's biggest crime lords. Around two years ago, just after he had become engaged to Gwen, Kevin had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd and before anyone knew it, he was back to his old ways. Ben had been forced to throw the mutant into the Null Void, but he escaped every now and then, causing general havoc. Still, he hadn't been heard of for nearly six months now – people assumed he was gone for good.

But assumptions never really got anyone much of anywhere.

* * *

"I'd like to thank you all for coming to the grand opening of Murray Shuttles newest space station," Cash announced proudly from his podium. A gaggle of reporters stood in the front, snapping pictures of the handsome, tall browed CEO and Founder of Murray Industries. He gave them his best "Cash-man" smirk before continuing. "This is the first intergalactic travel station open to Civilians in the northern United States, and I'm proud to have my name on it. As space travel grows and becomes more open to the country, I hope to make intergalactic travel a seamless and easy process.

"As this station is placed in South Dakota, home of the Hero of Heroes, I find this station, Tennyson Intergalactic Space Port, only fitting," Cash said, this time a little more sourly than he should've. It had been a board decision, not his. It wasn't that Cash didn't like Ben – it was simply that he found it a little ironic that he was naming his space port after the kid he used to give wedgies to in Grade School. "Let's hope that Mount Rushmore, and Ben 10k's headquarters, will be looking over our port for many years to come."

There was a loud caucus of applause as Cash continued to pose for photos. He was going to begin speaking again, when his eye caught someone in the audience all too familiar. Her fiery red hair, pulled back into a gorgeous ponytail, stuck out in any crowd, and her green eyes were darting around the audience, looking for something, or someone. He paused, dumbstruck at why Gwendolyn Tennyson would be at his space port's opening ceremony. "Yes, this is indeed a port that'll last for generations," Cash continued, forcing his eyes to leave Gwen, if only for a moment. "But there are certainly a few people that need to be thank—"

"I SAW THAT! I SAW YOU LOOKING AT HER!"

Before anyone knew what was happening, a woman had let out a ear-piercing shriek and had jumped what seemed to be seventeen feet in the air, lunging at Cash. Her stringy dark hair flew in her pale white face, her eyes red and blood-shot.

As the crowd screamed, Cash ducked behind the podium, but there was no need. A shot of purplish energy came from the red-head in the crowd and curled around the attacker, stopping her in her leap. But when the woman turned around to see who had captured her, she was far from pleased. "YOU LITTLE SLUT! I SAW HIM LOOKING AT YOU!"

With another feral shriek, the woman used what seemed to be huge fingernails to rip apart the energy surrounding her like tissue paper. She fell to the ground, and Gwen tried to shoot another energy beam to catch her, but there was no need. The woman fell feet first and sprung up off the ground, using amazing back-leg strength to propel her straight towards Gwen. It was obvious that this woman, although relatively human in appearance, had alien influence when it came to her abilities.

Gwen couldn't react in time before the stringy haired woman had pinned her to the ground. "HE'S MINE, YOU HEAR ME! MINE!" with every word, the woman spat into Gwen's face.

"Lay off lady!"

With a blast of fire, the woman was knocked off of Gwen and rolled along the concrete. Gwen looked up and smiled at her partner, Alan Albright, currently in full Pyronite form, his Plumber's badge flashing on his chest. Behind him was a tall man with long blond hair and freckles who had two large blasters in his hands. "Don't move," he announced, pointing them both at the woman. "I've rigged these babies with enough juice to send you flying into the next county."

"HE'S MINE!" she shrieked again, pointing savagely at Cash. "I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN LOVE HIM!"

"Cooper!" Gwen shouted to the blond man. "Get a containment field, we've gotta capture her!"

"Too late," Alan muttered, and Gwen turned around to see the woman had already righted herself and had jumped off, screaming about how she'd be back to get Cash all to herself. The crowd murmured amongst themselves as Alan fired up a flaming disk to pursue the woman with. But Gwen's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "We need to catch her! She's getting away!"

"I knew it was a mistake for us all to come," Gwen sighed, shaking her head. "She's part Macropodidae Hoptarus. With those hind-legs, she's probably long gone by now."

"Well we can't just sit here," Cooper shrugged.

"No," Gwen sighed. "But if we're going to capture her, it's going to have to be something a bit more subtle than three armed Plumbers."

"Agent Tennyson!" Before the three plumbers knew what had happened, they had been swamped by the reporters covering the opening. "What information can you give us on the mysterious attacker?!"

"Who is she? Why is she after Mr. Murray?!"

"Did Mr. Murray know of this attacker? Are you connected in any way to Mr. Murray?!"

"No comment," Gwen said, brushing the reporters off and making her way towards Cash at the podium. Cooper lowered his weapons and Alan de-Pyronited to follow her.

Cash had already stood up and was making his way towards the three as well. "Gwen," he said, but stopped himself, "I-I mean…Agent Tennyson. What just happened? Who was that?"

"We have a lot of explaining to do," Gwen admitted. "If you could accompany us back to our Headquarters, we could fill you in on what's going on. Cooper, get the car."

Cooper nodded, but didn't move. Cash looked over to see a standard-issue Plumber's car levitating towards them, seemingly on auto-pilot. Gwen opened the front seat and motioned for Cash to sit beside her. Alan and Cooper piled into the back before they drove off, the reporters and onlookers still baffled.

"To put it bluntly Cash," Gwen sighed, and Cash was pleased to hear her using his first name, "you've got a stalker."

"A stalker?" he asked.

"She's been following you for at least four months now," Gwen explained, pushing a button on the dashboard and bringing up a profile on his attacker. "Her name's Martha Piale, and we just got wind of her…'activities' a week ago. She works at your company, in the technology dissection and study labs."

"She's been following me all that time and I haven't seen her?" Cash asked, staring at the depressed and stringy haired woman in the profile. "Why me?"

"Why else? She's madly in love with you," Cooper responded, rolling his eyes. The youngest of the group began to fiddle with his blaster. "Her taste is awful."

"Cooper, watch it," Gwen warned him. "Cash is an old friend of mine." Cash found himself being touched, something out of character for the usual hard-nosed businessman.

"I don't trust suits," Cooper frowned. "They use people like me to help them get to the top and then throw us aside. Once we've figured out how to work the expensive tech, we're not useful anymore."

"Well Cash isn't just a suit," Gwen said, her tone indicating that she was ending the conversation. "And suit or no suit, he needs our help, and it's our job to save him."

Cash looked over at Gwen, studying her hard expression as they drove towards Plumber's headquarters. She had certainly changed in the past years, but she still held that radiating beauty he remembered from when they were teenagers. "Sorry about him, Cash," Gwen murmured, looking over at him with that same apologetic glance she had given him at the mall so long ago. He got the same shivers in his spine – the same longing in his chest.

"No problem," Cash frowned, forcing himself to turn away. Usually, he would take comments like Cooper's to heart and get extremely offended – but not now. Not while Gwen was with him. He felt strangely serene all of a sudden, and he liked that feeling. And the fact that she had been the one to defend him was an extra plus. "So what are you planning to do?"

"Not sure yet," Gwen admitted, her full lips contorting into a confused frown. "She's slippery, that's for sure. And she's mad now – it's only a matter of time before she gets violent."

"I guess that's what you get for being a young, unmarried billionaire," Alan joked to Cash, and Cash forced a smirk.

"I never asked for stalkers."

"To tell the truth," Gwen said, once again all-business, "I think a sting operation is our best bet. But she's got a lot of tech at her disposal – all stolen from your labs. We're going to have to work around that."

"If you're talking surveillance equipment," Cooper interrupted, "than a sting operation is basically out of the question. She'll be able to pick us up a mile away—"

"So you basically have nothing to get rid of her with," Cash said, crossing his arms and showing off his trademark rudeness.

"Hey, at least we're thinking," Cooper snapped, sitting back in his seat. "And it's not like we owe your sorry butt anything."

"Cooper," Gwen warned again as the four pulled into Plumber's headquarters. Once the car stopped, Cooper wasted no time in stepping out of the car and walking towards the main building. "I'm sorry…I don't know what's gotten into him. He's usually sweet – a little conniving – but sweet," she flashed her first smile of the day, and Cash felt strangely relieved.

"Don't worry Mr. Murray," Alan assured him, stepping out of the car as well. "We'll figure something out." Once Alan shut the door, it was only Cash and Gwen left. Gwen moved to unbuckle her seatbelt, but Cash stopped her by speaking up.

"So that's why you were at the ceremony today? To find her?"

"Uh huh."

"I noticed you. Haven't seen you in a long time."

"I know."

"How are things—"

"Pretty bad, thanks for asking," she smiled, but it was sarcastic, and before Cash knew it, she too had left the car. He sighed, opening his own door and following the rest of them, watching Gwen as she walked – her ponytail swinging back and forth along with her hips. Cash caught up with her.

"Are you all right? I mean, I know Levin took off but—"

"I'm fine, really," Gwen sighed. "It's just been tough. It's just been tough for _five years_ now," she cracked a dark joke. "Seeing you reminds me of him you know. How he used to be…sorry if I took it out on you."

"I don't want to look at me and think of Levin," Cash frowned, sticking his hands in his pockets. Gwen turned to him, but Cash didn't return the stare. "I may be a greedy 'suit', but even _I_ wouldn't do what he did to you."

Gwen smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks."

* * *

"She hasn't been to her apartment in weeks – God knows where she's living."

"And she quit work?"

"Just recently."

"So she's basically disappeared off the face of the planet?! That's fabulous!" a tall and sarcastic Tetramand remarked, sitting down in his oversized chair in frustration. Cash looked around the table at the Plumbers trying to think of a plan to capture his stalker, so far unsuccessful. Besides Gwen, Alan, and Cooper, a Tetramand named Manny and a Kinceleran name Helen were in the meeting room, scouring over Piale's profile and records. "How are we supposed to find her now?"

"Calm down Manny," Helen sighed, sitting down as well. "I still think we just have to wait until she strikes again – it's the only possibility."

"That might be too late," Alan reminded her darkly.

"Yeah, and I don't like the idea of me being stalked anymore," Cash butted in loudly. "After all, I've got a right to my privacy, don't I? The only reason she even made herself known this time was because—" he stopped, realizing that the only reason she had attacked was because she had caught him staring at Gwen, "was because she _thought_ I was giving the sweet eye to Gwendolyn over here."

Gwen blinked, and then smiled. "That's it! We'll have to draw her out."

"How we gonna do that?" Manny asked, narrowing all four of his eyes.

"Easy – by making her think Cash is giving another girl the 'sweet eye' as you put it," she smirked at Cash, who raised an eyebrow. "I'll go out with Cash – she's bound to be following him. We'll flirt around each other for a bit until she bites – then we'll have her."

"Wait…you _want_ to provoke her?" Cash asked blankly. "Did you see how high she jumped? She was _crazy_. If I got kicked with those legs—"

"You're not going to get kicked," Gwen assured him. "I'll be there, remember?"

"I don't know Gwendolyn," Alan sighed, looking up at his red-headed superior. "This seems a little…I dunno…risky. Something might happen to Mr. Murray."

"I think it's a great plan," Cooper smiled, and Cash narrowed his eyes at the technopath.

Cash didn't take to the plan immediately. Who would agree to being live bait? But at the same time, looking up at the red-headed Tennyson Plumber, he couldn't help but want to believe in her word – that she would help him. And he wanted to help her too. He wanted to earn her respect, and more importantly her trust. Something Kevin had lost long ago.

"I'll help you."

Her smile of thanks was enough. For a second, he really didn't care what happened to him after that moment. If he died, at least he died with a smile from Gwen Tennyson. Good enough for him.

* * *

At least it _had_ been. Until they had actually arrived at the evening of the operation. He couldn't claim to be brave anymore, what with a violent stalker probably watching his every move.

Still, despite his fears of imminent pain followed closely by death, he had still been looking forward to tonight, in a twisted sort of way. After all, even though it was just a sting operation – a front – he was still out to dinner with the interest of his youth. It pleased him to know that he might have been her first date ever since Kevin had split.

And even though he knew Gwen was his date that night, he was a little offput by the fact that she didn't look anything like herself.

The woman he had led in on his arm was not the quirky, beautiful red-headed Plumber he had concocted this plan with days before. She was a subdued blonde wearing a periwinkle dress – low-cut and uncharacteristic of Gwen's usual practical attire. Although her eyes shone with the same vivid green, her disguise was complete. Cash had barely recognized her.

The two knew they were being watched, so they had to act from the second they got to the restaurant. Their parts were easy enough to play: Cash would be portraying himself, obscenely rich, an air of entitlement about him, and the dastardly want to get Gwen in the sack before the night was through. Gwen would be the gorgeous bimbo entrapped by the billionaire: flirty, frisky, willing to give a little and show a lot.

It was too bad that it was all in good charade, Cash reflected as Gwen hugged his arm tightly while they were led to their table. He enjoyed the feeling of Gwen on his arm, leaning up against him, even if she didn't look anything the same. Except the eyes – yes, he looked into her eyes most of the time. If he focused on her gorgeous green orbs, he could remember that it was still her in there.

Cash jittered a bit as Gwen flipped through her menu. He felt strangely nervous, and not for the reasons he thought he would. It wasn't as though he hadn't gone out to dinner with a variety of gorgeous women, but Gwen was more than just some beautiful bimbo interested in his wads of money. As far as he was concerned, she wasn't even on the market. The man who could buy anything knew very well that Gwen Tennyson was out of his reach. She wasn't for sale. At least not to him.

But that only made her all the more desirable.

Gwen noticed his discomfort and leaned in to speak to him softly. "Calm down, Cash."

Cash stopped immediately, realizing he had been caught. He didn't dare reveal the true reasons for his nervousness. However, Cash was a business man, and the difference between a successful businessman and an unsuccessful businessman was the ability to lie quickly and affectively. "Easy for _you_ to say, Gwendolyn," he frowned. "I've never had a crazed stalker after me, let alone act as bait for her. Why couldn't another Plumber just use an ID-mask and pretend to be me?" It was an easy excuse to come up with – the thought really had grazed his mind once or twice.

"Because ID-masks emit a specific frequency that can be picked up with the right equipment. And the woman we're after has access to said equipment," she said, putting a little emphasis on "said equipment". Cash narrowed his eyes at her, knowing full well that she meant "your company's equipment".

"So how come you're wearing one?"

"I'm using a Glamour spell to change my appearance," she said, looking up to meet his eyes. Those eyes again – they held Cash, and he felt his throat going a little dry.

He couldn't help it anymore – if he didn't say _something_ to that, he would've exploded.

Glancing down at his menu, he added, in a confident voice that let Gwen know that he meant every word, "I never thought you lacked the glam-factor."

He looked up to see her reaction, and was pleased to find it was a small, but warm smile. "Thank you, Cash."

Yes, dropping that little compliment had been a good move. But he hadn't any time to revel in his victory. A Plumber, cleverly disguised as a waiter, had been planted at their table and had just walked over to them, feigning a "welcome, I'm smiling for a tip" attitude. He leaned down, as if to speak to the two privately, and said, "Our suspect's inspecting the bait, but you two need to amp it up to for her to bite."

So she _was_ here. Of course she was – she wouldn't let Cash of her sights. Where she was, now that was a mystery to both Cash and Gwen.

But Gwen knew how to work the plan. She giggled flirtatiously, as if Cash had just whispered something to her.

"Oh Cash, you're so naughty."

Cash liked the way she said that, even if it was all an act. He didn't mind role-playing the part of Gwendolyn Tennyson's lover at al. In fact, it was an opportunity he relished. "That's just the beginning," he said smoothly, employing the most seductive voice he could use in a public setting. Turning to their faux waiter, he ordered, quite brashly, "Bring us your best wine selection along with two glasses, if you please."

The waiter left, his eye still half glued to their table, and Gwen wasted no time in upping the stakes, "You don't need to get me drunk to take advantage of me." She winked and her tongue ran over her lips making Cash shiver slightly.

He wanted, at that moment, to reach across the table and take her hand. To caress her fingers, or maybe even brush her long blonde locks out of her eyes. He wanted the play to go on. But such lucky things never came easily to Cash.

The shattering of glass followed by a shrill shriek filled the restaurant, causing the patrons to look around frantically, frightened by whoever had made such a noise. They wouldn't be kept in the dark long. Cash's assailant soon launched herself from the wall, aiming straight for Gwen, her mouth open and foaming in rage.

"Keep your filthy hands off my man, you skank!"

"Suspect has revealed herself! Move in! Move in!" another undercover Plumber announced, and soon the customers of the restaurant screamed and ran in every direction, realizing they were in the middle of what would soon be a war zone.

Gwen wasted no time in shooting a beam of energy from her hands at Martha, capturing her in the purple beam. But she was tenacious, and with a firm kick, she shattered the energy beam and fell straight to the ground.

"Cash, stay back!" Gwen instructed, firing a ball of pink mana at Martha, who dodged and made another leap for Gwen.

Gwen powered up another spell, but it wasn't necessary. Martha was suddenly hit in the head with what appeared to be the _entire bar_. She reeled over, shrieking, and slammed into the restaurant wall as Plumbers began to file in, their weapons pointed at the now unconscious stalker.

Cash looked over to see who had been the one to subdue his attacker. At first glance, he didn't recognize the man: chrome skin, auburn disheveled hair and a slightly burned pinstripe suit. But something about his face rubbed Cash in a strange way – his energy and the display of brute strength also reminded Cash of a certain someone.

"What? No thanks for saving your life, Plumber?" he asked, and his voice resonated within Cash with that same familiarity. Gwen narrowed her eyes at the man.

"I had it under control," she said tersely. "And I don't usually ask for help from _criminals_."

That's when it hit Cash and the rest of the Plumbers currently stuffed into the restaurant. Although he had done nearly everything to change his appearance, the man standing in front of them was undoubtedly the one and only Kevin Levin – Kevin 11,000.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Manny asked, breaking through the crowd to point his weapon at Kevin. Before Kevin had turned traitor, the two had shared a turbulent friendship, hence, Manny had been one of the most hurt by Kevin's betrayal.

"Just scoping out the area," Kevin responded. "No business of you Plumbers."

"What, you got a deal to make here later?!" Manny shouted, pulling from his belt a Capture Egg – standard Plumber issue. "Too bad – you're going back in the Null Void right—"

It seemed to happen in a mere instant – Kevin had dashed across the restaurant and now had Gwen in a head lock. His arm had transformed into a piece of sharp tantenite and was pointed at Gwen's stomach, ready to disembowel the energy being at any moment. Cash gasped – obviously Kevin had learned how to control his mutant powers more efficiently – he could use elements of his mutant form without actually transforming.

"I got another idea," Kevin smirked, and Cash noted how similar it was to when they had both been in their teens. "I take Pumpkin here with me, and when I've gotten some good distance, I'll let her go. You guys can sit here and enjoy a few drinks on me."

The Plumbers all frowned, their leader now captured and being threatened. Kevin looked around, still smirking. "Awesome. Love it when you guys cooperate. See ya." With that, Kevin walked backwards, slowly out of the restaurant and into the open air, leaving the Plumbers all alone in the restaurant.

"Call in for back-up!" Alan said immediately. "We gotta surround him—"

"Gwendolyn can take care of herself," Helen reminded him solemnly. "And he won't hurt her…"

"You don't know that!" Cash suddenly shouted, stepping forward. He was angry – how useless were these guys? "He's got your leader! He's got Gwendolyn! And he's a raving psychotic mutant! How do you know he won't hurt her?!"

"They have a history—" Helen began, but Cash cut her off.

"Yeah, I know!" he said harshly. "But that's ancient history! He may have been her one and only, true love, soul mate, whatever! But now he's _threatening_ her!"

"What do you want us to do?!"

"Go after her!" he shouted. "Save her! Get her away from him!" That's what he really wanted. He wanted Gwen out of Kevin's arms. He didn't want to be helpless while Kevin proved once again how much stronger and more worthy of Gwen he was. "Forget it!" he snapped, and ran through the crowd of Plumbers towards the door.

"Wait, what the hell are you doin--?!" Manny began, but Cash was too fast. He had already sprinted out the door. "Hey!" Manny began to run out the door, only to be stopped by Helen sprinting in front of him.

"He won't be able to find them," she reminded him. "They're long gone by now…just let him do what he wants. We need to focus on booking his stalker here."

* * *

Cash continued to run, stripping off his jacket as he felt sweat collecting on the back of his neck and brow. He had yet to find Kevin and Gwen, and he really didn't know even where to look. But he kept running and searching – he had to find Gwen.

What was he planning on doing if and when he did find them? Fight Kevin? Please – that would be suicide. But that didn't stop him from continuing his pursuit. Yes, everything about his desperate search for the two of them was illogical. And Cash didn't get to be where he was by being illogical. So what was it that was driving him after the two of them?

Kevin's smirking face popped into his mind, only causing him to run faster. Levin had always been like that – he knew he was strong, and he had no problem with throwing his weight around. He hadn't even acknowledged Cash's presence – he didn't even register to Kevin. That was enough to piss him off immensely.

After all, hadn't Cash been the one going out to dinner with Gwen that night? He had been Gwen's date, and Kevin had wormed his way in and managed to whisk Gwen away like he had done years ago.

The last time Cash had let Kevin run off with Gwen, she had ended up Kevin's girlfriend.

What would happen this time?

"Let me go!"

Cash's ears perked up as he heard voices coming from an alleyway near him. He walked slowly, as quietly as possible, and managed to sneak close enough to the alley way to peer in from behind a trash incinerator. He didn't like what he saw. Gwen's Glamour Spell had worn off, and she was back to being a feisty redhead. Kevin's chrome skin had turned out to also be some sort of falsity, as he had shed it. But what was _really_ off about this scene was how Kevin was currently pushed up against Gwen, trying very hard to kiss her.

She had moved her head away from him, trying to avoid his lips and touches at all costs. But he had pinned her against the wall – she didn't have anywhere to go.

"C'mon Gwen…" he laughed, kissing her neck hungrily. "I thought I meant more to you than that."

"Shut it, Kevin," she snapped, and Cash was happy to hear distinct anger in her voice. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! I'm not your plaything anymore—"

"You're still mine," he said, looking her directly in the eye. "When did I give you up?"

"When you betrayed me, and Ben, and the rest of the Plumbers," she snapped back. "When you did that, you were dead to me."

"Did you cry?"

"What?"

"Did you cry for me when I 'died'?" he asked, and Gwen gritted her teeth and moved to hit Kevin. But he caught her hand and crushed his lips against hers. She struggled, and he released her. "What the hell are you doing going out with that little prick?"

Gwen paused. "What? Cash? That was a sting operation – and it's none of your business who I date anymore."

"You were getting pretty cozy for an 'operation', Gwen."

"Like I said – none of your god damn business. What's it to you if I want to go out to dinner with Cash? If you cared so much, you wouldn't have taken off two years ago."

"What the hell do you want me to say?" he asked, his voice raspy. "I'm sorry, I'll turn myself in?!"

"That's a start…"

"If I came clean, they'd throw me away for _years_," he reminded her, "and I'd be away from you anyway…the least I can do is enjoy myself and still be with you."

"But you _can't_!" Gwen finally shouted. "You have to choose Kevin – your life now or me. You can't have both."

Kevin was silent for a bit, as was Gwen, and Cash was pretty sure they were both staring intently at one another. Finally, Kevin spoke. "I still love you."

"Then act like it."

"I can't."

"Then you don't love me."

"No, I do," he insisted. "That's your problem Gwen. You think that everyone who's in love should act the same way. But I can't. I'm not the same as everyone."

"That's _your_ problem Kevin," Gwen responded coldly, "You think the world's always out to get you."

"I stopped caring about the world a long time ago," he said. "I only care about you. Are _you_ out to get me?"

Gwen was silent. "No."

"Do you still love me?"

Another pause. This one longer. But finally, "Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"What I'm feeling might be love," she admitted, but then she looked Kevin distinctly in the eye, "but then again, it might be pity."

He grabbed the back of her head and crushed his face against hers, kissing the life out of her. To Cash's horror, he saw Gwen's arms wrap around Kevin's neck and kiss him back just as fiercely. When they broke, Gwen began to kiss Kevin's neck feverishly, and Kevin moaned, "Then pity me, pity me Gwen…"

The last thing Cash saw was Kevin putting his hand underneath Gwen's dress. He couldn't stand to watch anymore after that – he turned around and sat down. Even though he couldn't see, he could hear nearly everything. Their moaning, their cries of ecstasy, the sound their love-making emitted as their hot friction practically sparked. Every sound wounded Cash, made him sick to his stomach. But at the same time, he couldn't walk away.

It wasn't every night that Cash's dinner date ended up sleeping with another man.

He felt disgusted. At a lot of things. At Kevin, of course, he was worth revulsion. At Gwen as well, for going back to Kevin after everything he had done and everything he was planning to still do. At himself, for not being man enough to take Gwen away from Kevin.

He wanted to be something Kevin couldn't, something that Gwen would be attracted to. But he had never felt more helpless. Hell, Kevin was a _felon_ who had left and hurt Gwen, and here she was, still as madly in love with him as ever. None of it made any sense.

The noises stopped, and nothing but the two's soft breathing reached Cash's ears. Sensual whispers that Cash couldn't make out were exchanged between the two and shuffling and footsteps signified that one of them was leaving.

A few minutes later, Gwen emerged from the alleyway and saw Cash sitting behind the incinerator. Her eyes widened, "How much—"

"Everything," he muttered. "Absolutely fucking everything."

"Please don't tell anyone," Gwen said, kneeling down to talk to him eye-eye . "It wasn't supposed to hap—"

"I won't tell anyone," he promised her, looking away from those eyes that had just recently given him so much comfort. And he meant it. He wasn't going to tell _anyone_ that Gwen still belonged to Kevin Levin. It was hard enough to admit it himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes**: This is the last chapter, where this fic earns its T rating. (Well I guess the alleyway sex was enough. :P)

* * *

A month or two passed, Cash wasn't really sure. His stalker was behind bars, and thus, his involvement with the Plumbers was pretty much over. He hadn't seen Gwen since that night, and he'd done his part in keeping her secret.

But his work with Gwen was far from over.

A knock on his office door was the beginning of it all. "Come in," he called, and his secretary poked her head through the door.

"A Miss Tennyson to see you, Mr. Murray," she said, and she opened the door wider to reveal a very defeated looking Gwen. Her demeanor was sad to behold, as though she wanted to cry right then but was holding it in with an air of dignity.

"Let her in, Catherine," Cash said, standing up, concerned. His secretary let Gwen in and shut the door behind her, leaving Gwen and Cash alone in the office.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I haven't seen you in…what is it…two months now? Don't tell me I've got another stalker."

Gwen was silent, but she took a shaky breath in. "I need your help."

"What? Want to give you relationship counseling with your oh-so-steady boyfriend?" he asked cruelly. He couldn't help it – when he was hurt, he got mean.

"I'm pregnant."

Cash stopped, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. He blinked once or twice, unable to believe it. Gwen collapsed into a chair and held her head in her hands – Cash realized this was serious.

"Gwendolyn, I—"

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she murmured, running her fingers through her hair. "Nobody but you knows it happened."

"So that time in the alleyway…"

"Yeah, that time," she muttered, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I'm so stupid! How could I have let this happen?"

Cash wanted to know the same thing, but decided being supportive was the right approach. "What do you need my help with? I've been keeping my mouth shut like you asked—"

"I don't want to abort it," she finally spat out, feeling her abdomen. "I don't think I could. B-but…but what am I gonna tell people? That I'm still sleeping with Kevin? That the man who betrayed me and everyone else is the father of my child?"

Cash realized her problem. If she told her Plumber friends the truth, she'd been seen as nothing short of a traitor – playing around with Kevin Levin while their officers were being killed by his associates.

Gwen continued to sit in the chair, looking as though she might cry any second. Cash narrowed his eyes. Where was Kevin now? Typical – when things got tough, he ran off and left Cash with the hard load. Kevin came around when he felt like it, left when it was convenient for him. But that wasn't Cash's fault. What was he supposed to do about this?

Then again, hadn't he wanted to take Gwen away from Kevin? To break the two of them up once and for all? To prove to Gwen that _he_ was the worthwhile man between the two of them? What he really wanted was to beat Kevin. But what could he be to Gwen that Kevin possibly couldn't?

Then it hit him.

He would be selfless. He would be brave. He would put out extreme effort in exchange for little to no reward.

"I'll help you."

He would be a hero.

"Tell them it's mine," Cash said finally, and Gwen looked up at him, shocked. "Tell them it's my kid."

"Cash…that would…your image…"

"I don't care," he said firmly. "I've got more than enough money to help you support him."

Gwen's tears finally came out. She grabbed Cash around the neck and cried into his shoulder. "Thank you…thank you so much…" she whimpered, and Cash held her back.

"It's okay," he said, stroking her hair softly. "It'll be fine…things'll work out."

Gwen lifted her head, still close to Cash, but no longer crying. "Still…a one-night stand? A child out of wedlock? It would definitely hurt your public image…"

Cash stopped, and blinked. "Then marry me."

"What?" she asked, once again shocked. "I-I can't…we can't just—"

"Marry me," he repeated, still holding her close to him. "I'll take care of you and the baby."

"Cash…I can't ask you to—"

"I want to," he finally admitted. "I like you." He looked at her in her gorgeous eyes. "Do you like me?"

She paused, mouth still a little open. She frowned, and then, answered him quite directly with a kiss square on the lips.

Cash kissed her back with as much passion as he could muster. He tried to ignore Gwen's shaky hands, or the fact that her kiss reminded him of someone lost in the dark. He tried to ignore the fact that she probably didn't kiss Kevin like this – that she may not have even meant it. That she was kissing him, marrying him, all as a big "thank you".

And as a big "screw you, Kevin".

* * *

"It's great," Gwen had assured Cash as the two read over the wedding announcement they were going to put in Sunday's paper. "They didn't spell our names wrong or anything."

"Shotgun weddings are known to have typos," he joked, slinking back into the couch that he and Gwen sat on. Gwen had moved in, more or less, so Cash could help care for her baby. She hadn't started to show yet, but it was only a matter of months. Their wedding was scheduled only three weeks away – it had come as a shock to everyone, but no one particularly disapproved either.

Still, as the two sat on the couch, Cash couldn't help but notice that he and Gwen acted more as accomplishes, more as partners, than as fiancés. The two hadn't kissed since their passionate lip-lock in his office nearly two weeks ago. They slept in separate beds. Even now, Cash didn't even have his arm around Gwen as the two sat on the couch.

He decided to fix that.

Putting his arm around Gwen, he pulled her in close, more or less cuddling with her on the couch. She didn't move away, but he could tell she was slightly reluctant. As if she didn't really want to be there, but was too polite to speak up. Cash looked down at her, "Do you still love him?"

"What?" she asked, looking up at him in confusion. "N-No…not after what he did to me. He hasn't even _tried_ to contact me."

But Cash didn't believe her. True, Kevin hadn't contacted Gwen – he might not have even known she was pregnant. But that was Kevin's style – detached and lax. He would show up, maybe in a month or so, probably looking for another quicky in an alley-way. And then what would happen?

"If he _did_ try to contact you, what would you say?" he asked her.

"…I'd tell him I'm engaged to someone else."

"And then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would you sleep with him anyway?" he asked, and Gwen recoiled from his cuddle, moving to get up. But Cash caught her wrist. "I'm asking you!"

"No! I wouldn't!" she snapped. "And I'm offended that you think I would—"

"Prove it," he challenged, and Gwen frowned at him. "Prove that you want to be with me."

Gwen was silent for a moment, still frowning at Cash. He could tell she was weighing her options, trying to figure out exactly what he wanted. Finally, she slowly sat down next to him and touched his arm gently. "Fine," she murmured, her tone strangely defeated. "I'll prove it to you."

She moved in and kissed him, gently at first. Cash cupped her cheek in his hand, running his thumb over her warm flesh. He could feel her moving to his shirt, undoing his tie. The piece of cloth slinked off his shoulders, and Gwen wasted no time in unbuttoning his shirt.

Cash tried not to see it as "going through the motions". He wanted to believe Gwen actually did want to make love with him. She was trying very hard, at least.

Stripping off his shirt, she felt his chest with her hands, her long fingers grazing his nipples and making him shiver slightly. He turned the tables on her, shoving her over, kissing her harder, and unbuttoning her own shirt. He could tell she liked this better – him in control. She didn't have to do anything – she just let things happen to her.

Her clothes practically melted off of her under his touch. She didn't resist, but she didn't contribute. Even when he stripped off her panties, she remained placid.

There she was – Gwendolyn Tennyson, naked on his couch. Something he had only fantasized about as a teenager. "You're gorgeous," he whispered to her, feeling her intimately.

She shivered, and Cash looked at her firmly shut eyes. Was she holding back tears? Or grimacing? Whatever it was, he wanted to change it – make her smile, make her moan his name. He leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "I love you."

Her eyes shot open, and that was it – she was crying. She turned on her side and wept, and Cash sighed and stroked her hair. "It's okay," he whispered, "I understand, it's okay."

"I'm so sorry," she muttered over and over again over her tears. "I'm so, so sorry."

He pulled a blanket off of the couch and put it over Gwen's naked form. He kissed her forehead gently, only making her cry more. "I can wait," he promised her, "until you're ready."

"I wish I could Cash," she sniffled, her eyes red and downcast. "God, I wish I could…you're worth so much more than him."

Cash paused. "But you can't. You want to be with him, don't you?"

Gwen didn't respond to that, but Cash knew the answer.

He stood up and collected his clothes. "Get some rest," he told her before walking off towards his own bedroom. He needed a good sleep too – or maybe some valium.

* * *

He knew that putting a wedding announcement in the paper would garner attention. But what kind of attention, he wasn't sure of.

He got the normal "congratulations" at work, the normal "where did you two meet?"s, the normal, "you never mentioned her before"s. But for all of those, he had a quick and easy answer.

"I didn't want her to be bothered by the press," he told her secretary smugly, adjusting a new picture of Gwen on his desk. "But she said she's willing to be in the spotlight – all comes with being my wife I guess. You're not going to remain unknown if you're on the arm of a billionaire, you know."

"Of course," Catherine giggled before walking to the door. "Well congratulations again Mr. Murray. Should I hold all phone calls?"

"Except any from Gwen," he told her smugly, and she smiled.

"Of course," she said, her tone sweet, as if happy that her sarcastic and slightly jerky boss had actually found someone. She shut the door behind her, leaving Cash to his own devices.

He fingered the picture of Gwen again. It almost seemed like a prop in a play. The photo was real – he had even taken it. But having her, there, on his desk seemed unnatural. Still, her immortalized pure smile looking up at him was a comfort to him.

"Pretty, ain't she?"

Cash spun around in his chair to see someone all too familiar. Kevin was sitting on his window sill, his hair back to its ebony black state, his eyes dark and dripping with hate for Cash. Cash would be lying if he said he wasn't shocked as well as a bit afraid. "So, Murray, how do you like being engaged to my girl?"

Cash swallowed to counteract his drying throat. He shook a little, but controlled himself. Kevin didn't seem like he was there to kill Cash – at least not yet. "She's pregnant," he finally said, and Kevin's eyes widened.

In a second, Kevin had Cash's collar and was thrusting his face into Cash's. "I'm going to _kill_ you!"

"It's not mine, genius," Cash snapped, and Kevin's angry expression softened as a realization hit him.

Kevin released Cash and frowned at him. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"How could she?" Cash asked, scoffing. "She doesn't even know where you are."

"So now what?!" Kevin shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. "Now you're pretending to be the kid's Dad or something?"

"Bingo," Cash crossed his arms in front of him. "So what now Kevin? Are you going to kill me?"

"What if I said I was?"

"You'd leave Gwen with no man to take care of her and her child."

"_I'm_ the kid's real father!" Kevin snapped shrilly, spitting a bit. Cash didn't react – he couldn't, no matter how scared he was. He had to remain cool – it was the only way to get under Kevin's skin. "_I'll_ take care of her!"

"You? Take care of her? Please," Cash laughed harshly, disgust apparent in his voice. Here it was – the chance to finally tell Kevin what he thought of him. Cash relished the moment – after all, depending on how mad Kevin got, it might be his last. "You couldn't take care of a goldfish! You abandoned her! How do you think she felt when she got pregnant and realized no one was there to help her? That she was _alone_?!"

Kevin didn't speak but he continued to glower at Cash. "You're useless as a man!" Cash continued, standing up to look Kevin straight in the eye.

"Shut it!"

"Are you going to hit me?!" Cash asked, urging Kevin on. "Go ahead! Hit me! That'll only prove how much better Gwen is off with me!"

"Not in your wildest dreams!" cried Kevin again, but Cash could tell he was getting to Kevin. The mutant was beginning to sweat a little, and Cash could see panic in his eyes. "Gwen _loves_ me! Get over it, asshole!"

"Sure, she loves you," Cash scoffed, "but she can't _rely_ on you! You're nothing!"

"Do you wanna die?!"

"You think I'm wrong?!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Then prove it!" cried out Cash, who could feel his eyes burning. What was he doing – why was he saying this to Kevin? "Prove that you're worth her! Take her back from me! I dare you, Levin!"

There was silence for the first time in the past five minutes. Cash couldn't believe what he had just challenged Kevin to do. He wanted to keep Gwen, didn't he? So why was he egging Kevin on to get her back? It didn't make any sense.

And then his eyes fell on the smiling picture of Gwen. His mind flashed between her sweet smile of that picture and her sobbing form on his couch. Gwen didn't want to be with Cash, and he knew it, as much as it pained him. So here he was, sacrificing his own happiness to help her – help someone he loved.

God dammit.

Since when did he become a hero?

* * *

"Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? No, nothing," Cash assured Gwen as the two walked down the street after lunch. Cash's hands were stowed neatly in his pants pockets, and Gwen walked a bit behind him, noting his hunched over position and sullen expression. "Just thinking."

"Thanks for lunch," Gwen said, wanting to say something to end the tense silence.

"No problem," he said, just as eager to fill the dead space with idle chatter. "I'm not cheap that I wouldn't treat my fiancée to lunch."

Gwen moved a little quicker to walk next to Cash, but he didn't feel any closer to her. Ever since the incident with Kevin, he'd felt even more distant from Gwen, more distant from himself. He felt like he didn't know _Cash_ anymore. "Do you think people can change?" he said rather abruptly, his thoughts falling out of his mouth almost against his will. Gwen paused, and then smiled.

"Not really," she sighed. "I have…a lot of experience with people who can't change, you know."

"What about me?" Cash asked her.

"You haven't changed," Gwen said. "You've toned down a little, but you're the same as you were when we were kids."

Cash shook his head and turned away from Gwen. "You're wrong."

"About what?"

"I have changed," he admitted, a bitter tone to his voice. "I used to be a self-serving jerk. And I've changed. And if can change," he finally came to an uneasy conclusion, "so can he."

"Who?"

"Yeah, I can."

Gwen and Cash turned around to see a certain jet black haired man walking towards them, emerging from the darkness of an alleyway, his eyes downcast, his hands in front of him, chained with energy cuffs. "Kevin!" Gwen gasped, but Cash just frowned. "Wh-what…what are you—"

But Gwen's answer came to her without words as Cooper, Alan, and Manny all emerged from the same alleyway. "…what's going on?" she asked.

"I turned myself in, Gwen," Kevin said, shrugging. "You really think these losers could catch me on their own?"

"You're the one cuffed, smart guy," Manny reminded him, but Gwen could tell that through Manny's gruff exterior, a bit of relief was shining through.

"Why?" Gwen asked, walking up to Kevin.

"I'm going to prove," Kevin began, and shot a quick glance at Cash, "that I'm worth you."

"B-but you said—"

"I said a buncha stuff I didn't mean," he sighed, shaking his head. "And a lotta stuff I _thought_ I meant. Gwen, I made a deal with them." Her eyes lit up. "Handing over a couple dozen names in exchange for reduced time. Should be out in four—"

"Probably six," Cooper interrupted, and Kevin sighed testily.

"Okay, probably six years," he frowned at Cooper, who shrugged before letting Kevin continue. "Gwen, don't marry that guy," he nodded his head in Cash's direction. "I know that right now, he's worth about a million of me. But," Kevin looked Gwen straight in the eye, and then, slowly, looped his cuffed arms around her and pulled her close to him, "without you, I'm not worth _anything_."

Gwen clutched Kevin closely, and Cash looked on with a strange detachment. He noted the smiling faces of the Plumbers, the happy tears that Gwen was beginning to shed. Even Kevin looked happier than he had seen him in awhile. So here he was, Cash Murray, the one who had caused everyone else to be happy and yet, he was still miserable.

"I'll cancel the caterers I guess," Cash finally spoke up, and Gwen turned around, still in Kevin's arms, to look at Cash.

"I'm so sorry Cash," she said softly, and then looked up at Kevin. He lifted his arms, letting her go, and she walked over to her now ex-fiancé. She embraced Cash, and he hugged her back, wanting to touch her intimately at least one more time. "If it means anything…you were there for me when I needed it the most. You're my hero."

With that, she gave him a quick peck on the lips and moved back to Kevin, who was also looking at Cash with an expression mixed between gratitude and uneasiness.

"_You're my hero_."

Looking after Gwen, seeing her excitement and happiness, he knew now. What it felt like to be Tennyson.

It hurt. It wasn't fair. It wasn't _right_. He wasn't happy.

But it was worth it. Because _she_ was happy.

He had wanted to be a hero.

And he was.

Cash Murray was a hero.


End file.
